Royal Rumble 2020 Predictions

How do you feel about WWE Champion Brock Lesnar entering at No. 1?

Steven Jackson: I’m excited about it. Brock is the most dominant wrestler on the roster, so it adds an extra dimension to the match. Very unpredictable!

Juan Bautista: This can be interpreted in many ways: a lack of creativity, not believing in anybody else on the roster, admitting failure. The last interpretation is that WWE is going all in on building Brock as this unbeatable beast and we’re getting Lesnar vs. Tyson Fury at Mania. The Seth Rollins Project, nearly a year removed from starting at Royal Rumble, can be seen as a failure.

Matthew Smith: I like the change up of having Brock come in at No. 1 and try to last through 29 other men. But it leaves me with a few questions: if he wins, what about WrestleMania? Will Matt Riddle actually get in the ring with Brock? And will we have the spot where everyone attacks Lesnar, only to have him roll under the ropes and come back in when only four men are left?

David Gibb: It’s different. The last four or five Rumbles have been pretty dead, so maybe this will inject some new life.

Neal Wagner: I’m not opposed to Brock entering No. 1 – it definitely adds a different dynamic to the match this year, especially since he is WWE Champion. Maybe WWE should express that if he wins, he gets to pick his own opponent for Mania this year. But if the rumors are true that “whoever eliminates Brock will likely be his Mania opponent,” I’m on board because it’ll be something different for a world title match.

John Corrigan: I love it! This way there will be no dull parts during the match. You’re in, you’re out. You’re in, you’re out. Eat. Sleep. Eliminate. Repeat.

Chad Gelfand: It’s interesting and adds a new level of intrigue as to who will be the No. 2 entrant, as well as who, if anyone, will eliminate Lesnar.

Jack Goodwillie: I love it and it makes for some great storytelling. Normally, the odds-on favorite is whoever enters the match at No. 30, but here you have the boogeyman, so to speak, playing a game of beat ’em up…that is until he’s eliminated to set up a match at WrestleMania. Whoever that is will need to be someone who can measure up to Lesnar physically, at least to a certain level AND be someone who Lesnar has had little to no interaction with already. Cain Velasquez somewhat fits the bill, but I’m always going to be of the mindset that it needs to be an elevated NXT star in spots like these; someone the company hasn’t built up to tear down (yet). For that reason, the spot is tailor made for Matt Riddle.

Name one surprise entrant in the men’s Royal Rumble?

Jackson: Given that the nWo has been listed as joining the 2020 Hall of Fame, let’s go with Sean Waltman aka Syxx aka X-Pac!

Bautista: A surprise entrant other than Goldberg or Edge…Undertaker is always possible. I would like to see Chavo Guerrero, maybe Finlay. Since Brock is in the match, we could see Rey Mysterio’s son Dominic.

Smith: Not sure if NXT superstars are still surprise entrants, but after his showing at Survivor Series, not having Keith Lee come in this match would be crazy.

Gibb: Gangrel.

Wagner: Obvious answer is Edge, but I’m gonna go more off the wall and say John Cena. He has expressed not long ago that he wants to wrestle at Mania every year if possible while doing his other ventures, so maybe he enters this year and has a stare down with his eventual opponent, much like Hogan-Warrior in 1990.

Corrigan: Scotty 2 Hotty.

Gelfand: People have been speculating about Shelton, Benjamin, John Morrison, MVP and Carlito being surprise entrants in the Royal Rumble for about a decade now. John Morrison and Shelton Benjamin are most likely going to be in since they’re on the roster now. I would love it if both MVP and Carlito were in the Rumble, but if I have to choose one, I’m going with Carlito.

Goodwillie: Edge. There’s just too much smoke to this fire.

Name one surprise entrant in the women’s Royal Rumble?

Jackson: Kelly Klein! She’s a free agent and could really do great things in the women’s division.

Bautista: It’s a good time for Victoria.

Smith: Taya Valkyrie.

Gibb: Jazz.

Wagner: I’d like to see Beth Phoenix get back in there again. WWE dropped the ball with her return to the ring last year, especially not having her and Natalya take the titles at Mania. She could easily rise from the announce table and walk in the ring and go.

Corrigan: BRIEEEE MOOOODE!

Gelfand: I would love it if Victoria were a surprise entrant. She’s an underrated performer from the Ruthless Aggression Era, who it would be nice to see get some time to shine.

Goodwillie: I can tell you who won’t be a surprise entrant in the women’s match: Paige. Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll go out on a limb and say NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley should not only be in the match, but win the Rumble and go on to knock off Bayley at WrestleMania. That may sound unrealistic, but it would be far from an ineffective way to create a new star with an already proven track record for working on top. Even if she doesn’t win, I do think she’ll be in the match.

Who will win the women’s Royal Rumble?

Jackson: I really want Io Shirai to win the women’s Rumble and the gold!

Bautista: Since four names have only been announced, one can expect (like last year) the results will be dictated by how the night plays out. If Lacey Evans wins, one can expect Sasha Banks to win the Rumble to avenge Bayley’s loss. If WWE wants to get fully behind Asuka, she will beat Becky, while Charlotte wins the Rumble. That way we get another Charlotte-Asuka match, which has been Asuka’s toughest obstacle.

Smith: Ronda Rousey to set up the one-on-one match with Becky.

Gibb: Sasha Banks.

Wagner: I heard Shayna Baszler name dropped quite a bit and it would make sense. Have her win and make everyone believe that she’ll target Rhea Ripley once again for the NXT Title, but then show up on Raw and challenge Becky as a way of revenge for how Survivor Series went off the air.

Corrigan: “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey will return at No. 30 and run wild.

Gelfand: Sasha Banks. 2020 should be the year that WWE really gives her the ball, and her winning the Royal Rumble and choosing to betray her friendship with Bayley and challenge for the Smackdown Women’s Championship is a ready-made WrestleMania storyline.

Goodwillie: I’ve already said who SHOULD win the women’s Rumble, but as far as who WILL win, the arrow is pointing Charlotte’s way. She’s not currently involved in a feud over either of the titles and her name and status pretty much guarantee her a primo spot at WrestleMania every year. With this being the third year of the women’s Rumble, she makes for a logical, but by no means a blow away pick.

With @BrockLesnar officially entering the #RoyalRumble at No. 1, who challenges The Beast at #WrestleMania for the WWE Championship?@bullyray5150 says the ideal situation involves an old @HeymanHustle protégé at No. 30…
For more Busted Open 📺 visit: https://t.co/KJR4242N25 pic.twitter.com/FXV6KUsvQl
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) January 7, 2020

Who will win the men’s Royal Rumble?

Jackson: Although I’d love for Brock Lesnar to run roughshod over everyone, what I would love more is for AJ Styles to win the Rumble and for us to get Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles at WrestleMania! Come on, who doesn’t want that!?

Bautista: Brock Lesnar. Most of the major players are involved in feuds that are not ending anytime soon. While a surprise underdog could pull off the upset, they would need to be seriously built up.

Smith: Safe bet here feels like Roman Reigns, but I hope WWE shakes it up a bit. You can still set up Reigns vs. The Fiend without him winning the Rumble, so I’m going with the “Super King of Bros” Matt Riddle. Riddle vs. Lesnar for Mania, Bro.

Gibb: Roman Reigns, of course! Big Dog, etc. etc.

Wagner: Three names make the most sense: Kevin Owens, Drew McIntrye and Roman Reigns. I’m pulling for either KO or Drew because they would be fresh matches for the champions, whether its Brock or Bray and they make the most sense with how their stock with the fans are right now. If I’m in Vegas and putting money down on the match, Roman Reigns is winning his second Rumble. I’m not a fan of that either, but we all know how Vince McMahon likes to operate.

Corrigan: CM Punk. I’m subscribing to Bully Ray’s theory on Busted Open Radio that Punk enters at No. 30, eliminates Lesnar and WrestleMania 36 is headlined by the battle of Paul Heyman Guys.

Gelfand: This is one of the more open Royal Rumbles in recent memory where it doesn’t feel like there’s a clear winner. Now all of that is going to sound ironic because my pick to win is Roman Reigns. Ever since Reigns’ return after beating leukemia last year, he’s been out of the WWE/Universal Title picture, and the fans are organically behind Reigns in a big way. Now is the time to pull the trigger and have Reigns join the Universal Title picture again. Reigns winning the Rumble will get a better reaction in Houston than it did in Philly.

Goodwillie: I really miss the days a Royal Rumble winner would look to cash in against the other brand’s champion, opening up a wormhole of new ideas and possibilities. That said, I don’t know if it’s in the cards this year. I am also really, really into the idea of someone coming in and winning it out of left field to solidify a push, i.e. a Buddy Murphy or Mustafa Ali. Unfortunately, I don’t know if that’s in the cards either. And while we’ll see Edge make an appearance this year, can we really expect him to win it and challenge Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania? That’d be a tall order. So, who SHOULD win it? Kevin Owens. Take the training wheels off and see how far he can fly, because everyone has known for a decade that he is the real deal. Who WILL win it? Roman Reigns.